Spinal Cord Injury Day 5th September

Sunday 5^th September was Spinal Cord Injury Day. Spinal cord injuries (SCI) and paralysis can have devastating physical, mental, social, sexual and vocational consequences for the injured. This type of  injury also increases the economic burden on the individual and potentially their support network.

I previously blogged about my own personal experience of spinal cord injury:

https://anthonygold.co.uk/latest/blog/life-after-a-spinal-cord-injury-a-personal-insight/

The International Spinal Cord Society (ISCoS) has chosen to mark the 5th of September of every year as ‘Spinal Cord Injury Day’. Their aim is to increase awareness of spinal cord injuries amongst the wider public. In the long term it is presumed this will promote and create an inclusive life for persons with disabilities and ensure greater chances of success of prevention programmes.

Here is the link to find out more about their aims and objectives. https://www.worldsciday.org/

The organisation’s main slogan and aim this year is to promote good health with the help of telecommunication and telehealth. The pandemic has undoubtedly effected all of us, but more importantly has posed an additional burden on a spinal cord injured person to access to health care.

Throughout the pandemic, telehealth and telecommunication have emerged as an effective way to provide access to health care for the vulnerable or for patients who live in rural areas who are unable to travel for healthcare.

However, I feel very strongly that much more needs to be done to allow spinal cord injured patients to be able to access healthcare. On a personal note, having suffered a SCI myself, I know all too well how important it is to maintain my physical health. For some individuals therapy is their only way to engage with the wider community. At the beginning of the pandemic face to face therapy services, such as physiotherapy and counselling came to a halt and we all had to find new ways of accessing health care mainly through technology. For some of these individuals, physical therapy or counselling is essential to maintain their health.

Although access to health care is slowly opening up now, as a community we need to do more to raise awareness of those affected by spinal cord injuries, to enable them to have a more inclusive life. Access to the community and initiatives such as this one promoted by the ISCoS do certainly help spread the message.

Disclaimer: The information on the Anthony Gold website is for general information only and reflects the position at the date of publication. It does not constitute legal advice and should not be treated as such. It is provided without any representations or warranties, express or implied.*